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Thanks to RockBand and Fallout 3, DLCs are more popular than ever, and premium download-only content may soon be coming to an MMO near you. Turbine went DLC in a big way with Dungeons and Dragons Online and next month's Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood is arguably a DLC expansion. Paying for only the areas you want to play and having instant access may be a welcome approach, but will MMO developers succomb to the intermediary currency (i.e. BioWare points) temptation? Will we have to constantly pay for more points than we'll use? Thoughts on DLCs and pricing in today's Loading... Let's Make a DLC.

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Are DLCs (premium DownLoadable Content, typically only available for purchase and download online) the future of MMO expansions? Since Lord of the Rings Online's December expansion, Siege of Mirkwood, technically qualifies (though we don't want to put the sweeping Volume 2 epilogue on par with "Ghostbusters" for LEGO Rock Band), MMOs and DLCs were one of the themes of today's monster Siege of Mirkwood interview with Lord of the Rings Online Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel.

Mr. Steefel noted that the DLC-esque model for Siege of Mirkwood remains experimental for Turbine, and that it doesn't mean that the next LotRO expansion will be download-only (or retail-centric) for that matter. But that's not to say that the idea is new to MMOs . In 2005, EverQuest 2 was perhaps the first to explore a pay-to-play content area with The Splitpaw Saga. Everyone I talked at the time to enjoyed this "adventure pack" immensely, but perhaps Splitpaw Saga's fatal flaw was that, though it was aimed at mid-level players, SS was released seven long months after launch and at a time when WoW's largesse was already picking off many of the stragglers.

Thanks largely to Fallout 3 and the music games, DLCs are back in a big way. That's why it didn't really surprise me to see that the concept was firmly wedded to DragonAge: Origins - wedded to the point that a camp merchant was trying to talk me into picking up the Warden's Keep DLC. At first I was a little put out that I just dropped $52.39 for a non-subscription game and now this Levi guy was hitting me up for more. Why not wait a week or two before the hard sell? But DragonAge is far from an incomplete game without premium content and I can certainly see the value in introducing players to the concept. Nevertheless, Soldier's Peak can certainly wait for me to save the day elsewhere.

Since BioWare just launched its own social hub and point-buying portal, we're likely to see a similar DLC approach for Mass Effect 2 and perhaps even their first MMO project, the wildly anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic. That made me wonder just how much real-world money a BioWare point equates to.

In case you were wondering too, one dollar (US) will buy you...

• 80 BioWare points (DragonAge's "Warden's Keep" new content area costs 560 points or $7, and "The Stone Prisoner" - the recruitable golem party-member Shale - costs 1200 points or $15). You can currently buy BioWare points in denomenations of 400, 560, 800, and 1600. Note that you can buy exactly enough points to cover the two existing DLCs.
• 80 Microsoft points (used for Xbox 360 and certain PC (Fallout 3, for example) DLCs, Xbox Live Arcade games, and - long a point of contention for Zune owners - licensed music). Buy in denomenations of 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000.
• 100 Nintendo points (used for Wii Virtual Console games and DLCs). Purchasable in denomenations of 100, 300, 500 or 1000 points (online) or 2000 points (retail).
• $1 in the PlayStation 3 online store, which is to say that Sony is the only consoleer that shows prices in real world dollars.

Interestingly, none of the point packages offer discounts for larger denomenation point buys. 80 points to a dollar is an interesting ratio too, since we typically have the most trouble with the "eights" on a multiplication table. It makes it just a little harder to hash out how much something costs in real dollars, sans calculator. And though I couldn't find a scientific study to validate the claim, international travelers have often observed that when your currency converts to larger numbers (when your $8 turns into 1,000 Icelandic kroner), you tend to spend more carelessly.

I'm not a fan of these intermediary "points" currencies, mostly because I always seem to have too little or too much for the rare occasions when I want to buy something. I realize that this approach helps with regionalization, since you can list one price and only deal with the initial money-to-points conversion rate as currency fluctuates. For the laziest among us, it's nice that you can do one transaction for a few months of virtual transactions, and that you always have the perfect gift for the console gamer in your life. Yet given the obfuscation of true prices, it's always bit of a sucker buy. That grates on me.

What's your take on DLCs and the "points" approach adopted by consoles and now BioWare? Share your opinion in the Loading... forum!

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day



From our PC & Console Games (Non-MMO)

Beerkeg Review: Uncharted 2 multiplayer

Our
PC & Console games forum has become a busy place in a short amount
of time, proving that you're interested in talking about non-MMO games
with Ten Ton Hammer community members. Beerkeg (a person in this case,
not a thing) offered his review of Uncharted 2 about a month ago, and
the replies have been rolling in ever since. Check out this jumpin'
thread, get the lowdown, and add your own opinions on Uncharted 2.

==============================

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread


"I have to say without a doubt
that Naughty Dog just floored me with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
However, they out did themselves with Uncharted 2. This is one of the
best development companies on the planet. This should be game of the
year hands down."

- OneEyeRed
==============================



Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us!

7 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG
features today! 29 in November! 3,001
in
2009!



Today's Exclusives at Ten Ton Hammer

• In-Depth Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood Q&A w/ Exec. Producer Jeffrey Steefel
  At Ten Ton Hammer, our viewers vote with what they read, and one of the hottest topics this month is LotRO's December expansion, Siege of Mirkwood. We've been spending a lot of time with LotRO Executive Producer, Jeffrey Steefel lately, trying to uncover all there is to know about this important epilogue to Volume 2. Mr. Steefel has revealed, we dare say, just about as much as there is to be known about the expansion at this point. We bring those conversations to our readers in a huge all-encompassing Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood Q&A.
• Star Trek Online: Abilities Q&A
  Warp Drives are humming with anticipation all over the galaxy as Star Trek Online continues to build towards engagement. With closed beta in full speed ahead mode, more details continue to emerge from Crypitc Studios about this highly anticipated title. This week we were fortunate enough to sit down and discuss the abilities system with Steve Nix, Combat System Designer and Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer.
• Champions Online Developer Diary - Systems Balancing, Pt 2.
  Coming back for a second week of numbers crunching in Champions Online, Brian Urbanek, Systems Designer takes last week's discussion a bit further. Brian delves into combat factors, including energy cost, damage scaling, and survival. Learn the numbers behind your heroes in Mr. Urbanek's Systems Balancing, Part 2.

New Features & Guides Today at Ten Ton Hammer

• World of Warcraft: Violet Hold Guide
  The Kirin Tor are in a desperate battle to defend Dalaran against Malygos and his blue dragonflight. Wanting to destroy any mortals who dare to use magic Malygos has begun his assault on the city in the Kirin Tor’s prison, the Violet Hold.  This guide will help you defeat the various bosses inside and give tips to complete any achievements linked to the Violet Hold.
• Runes of Magic - The Priest: A Beginner's Guide
  Want to be always wanted? Want to never be lonely again? Ever wanted to be the one player that could not be left behind? Then join ZeroMerc in Class Guide all about the Priests in Runes of Magic.
• Aion Pick Up Group Boot Camp
  Love them or hate them, at one time or another everyone needs a pick up group. Not only can they be frustrating, but they can cost us time, soul healing costs, and occasionally our sanity if we end up in a bad group.  They don’t have to be as bad as they are though and with these few simple tips you can survive PUGs!
• Aion Alchemy Guide - 1-99
  A bubblin' brew often means trouble, but in Aion it means progress in Alchemy. It means progress for the greater good of your health, mana, and wings, that much is for sure. The road to any tradeskill can be headbutted down by work orders, but what if you'd rather put your money towards more useful things in this game and use the materials you've gathered in this level range? We've got you covered on that for our first in our Alchemy series of guides, 1-99!
  

Today's Hottest Content

1. In-Depth Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood Q&A w/ Exec. Producer Jeffrey Steefel
2. Star Trek Online: Abilities Q&A
3. Aion Pick Up Group Boot Camp
4. World
   of Warcraft Patch Patch 3.3 Preview
5. Champions
   Online: Blood Moon Hands On Impressions
6. Champions Online Developer Diary - Systems Balancing, Pt 2.
7. Managing
   Fan Expectations - An Interview with Vanguard Visionary Brad McQuaid
8. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/classes/cleric_healing">The
   Cleric's Guide to Healing in Aion
9. Aion Alchemy Guide - 1-99
10. Lord
    of the Rings Online - Siege of Mirkwood Live Preview

- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team